Business & Life Coach

Getting Things Done

Hey, we all want to be as efficient as possible and get a ton of things done each day but a lot of time we go home after work feeling like we didn’t get much of anything done. Here’s a great tip on how breaking your time into boxes can really boost your efficiency during the day.

The concept is pretty simple and is done by setting aside a fixed amount of time to work on something and then not working on it beyond the border of your time box. Working in blocks of time like this definitely helps a person recognize that they can only do one thing at a time and that multitasking is an exercise in low productivity. Work on one thing at a time, give it your full attention, then move on to the next task or project.

If you want a specific and more detailed example of time-boxing then spend a little time reading about the Pomodoro Technique. You can start by reading the Wikipedia article here then research more if you find it useful.

The whole idea of this technique is about focus, not getting something finished. The idea is to split your time up among various tasks/projects, keeping track of your time, and prioritizing how you are going to spend your time. If you don’t finish something in the time you blocked out for it then you can create another time block to work on it, maybe after taking a break from it or the next day if the deadline allows for it.

Successful people have learned that if you want to do be effective you have to focus on one thing at a time. This great tool lets you do that.